Cell death is a pathophysiological component of acute tubular necrosis and acute kidney injury. Regulated necrosis, however, comes in several different forms. Although necroptosis and ferroptosis have been recently characterized in acute kidney injury, pyroptosis has not been assessed in detail. In this issue of Kidney International, Miao and Yin et al. investigate the role of gasdermin D, a protein that can form plasma membrane pores.